The NPD Group has released a new study called Girl Power: Understanding This Important Consumer Segment, which examines how girls ages 2 to 14 spend their time in a typical week. As it turns out, electronics and computer/video games have become increasingly important to them.

In general, girls are spending more time on entertainment activities this year than they were in 2007, and more than half are spending their time using CE devices, and playing PC games and video games. While pre-schoolers (ages 2-5) are occupied with toys and dolls, once these girls reach the ages of 6-8 they start becoming interested in board games and virtual worlds. Then, for ages 9-12 traditional toys are still the primary activity, but NPD notes that these 'tweens' are "migrating to computer and video games, especially virtual world online games."

"Socialization is gearing up among the pre-teens, and the advent of interactive gaming really hits home with these girls who are looking for friends from the confines of their homes," NPD explains. "Young Teens (age 13-14) are also gamers, but many girls this age are also now listening to music on portable digital music players and talking/texting on their mobile phones."

"Some very traditional play patterns still are the most popular among girls, even in this digital age," said Anita Frazier, NPD's industry analyst. "Over 50 percent of girls ages 2-14 engage with dolls, plush, and arts & crafts in a given week which is a testament to the evergreen nature of these types of activities for girls."

"Girls, in general, are famously social creatures," continued Frazier. "The growth in use of social networking and virtual world websites by girls is a natural extension of this core value which needs to be recognized by manufacturers who count girls as primary market for their goods and services."